


this christmas

by smartbuckley



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Evan "Buck" Buckley is a Dad, First Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Making Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: Buck's plans for Christmas are simple with Maddie leaving town with Chimney - spend it at home, alone. Eddie won't let that happen though, and convinces Buck to spend Christmas with him and Chris instead.
Relationships: Evan 'Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 12
Kudos: 201
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	this christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Merry 911 Christmas Calendar](https://merry911xmas.tumblr.com/) event on tumblr.

“What are you doing for Christmas this year?” Buck hears Eddie ask, and he turns towards his best friend with a small smile, not that he could tell through the mask, admittedly, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket as he shrugs his shoulders. Maddie and Chimney are going to Chimney’s family for the holidays, so he’s going to be alone this year, and something dark settles into the pit of his stomach every time he begins to think about it. Both of them had asked if Buck wanted to come, but Buck -- well, Maddie and Chimney were going to introduce Caitlin to Chim’s family, and as much as he loved Chim, they weren’t really in his  _ bubble _ , so to speak, and he had Chris to think about, even if Chris wasn’t  _ his _ to think about. That thought made him frown a little harder than he was before, but he cleared his throat and let out a soft breath, doing his best to avoid a couple walking nearby as Eddie led them to Buck’s car, arms filled with bags that he wouldn’t let Buck help carry.

Once in the Jeep, both of them do the next step of their routines before Eddie turns back towards Buck with an arched eyebrow.

“Nothing? Maddie and Chim are going to Chim’s family for the holidays, so I’ll just be spending time at home,” he adds with a shrug of his shoulders, ignoring the way Eddie frowns at his response, ignoring the way his stomach curdles when Eddie shakes his head with pursed lips.

“Nope,” Eddie says and Buck finds himself frowning, feeling a little surprised as he turns towards Eddie completely.

“What do you mean, no?” He asks, a small laugh escaping from him as Buck starts his car, cringing a little as he lets it idle. He watches Eddie, still not sure what’s going on in his best friend’s mind, but blinking when Eddie hums.

“You’re going to spend Christmas with Chris and I,” Eddie says and Buck finds himself more surprised than ever, his mouth dropping open for a few minutes, Eddie chuckling briefly.

“But -- Eddie, I couldn’t possibly--”

“Except you  _ could _ possibly, Buck. You’re family. Chris wants you there. My Abuela keeps asking if you’re going to be there. And  _ I _ want you there, and definitely not alone,” Eddie says, his voice softening as he turns towards Buck completely, his hand resting on his shoulder, thumb caressing his pulse point on his neck - so similar to the time Eddie said he trusted Buck with Chris more than anything, that Buck can only gulp in silence as he nods, clearing his throat once more before beginning to drive away from the shopping center. 

* * *

By the time Buck ends up at Eddie’s home, it’s well into the evening, and Chris is due back any minute from spending time with Carla before she leaves for the holidays. Buck plans on leaving, is just about to walk out of the door to Eddie’s home so he can wrap what he’s bought before Chris gets home when he feels Eddie’s fingers on his wrist, stopping him from moving forward. He turns to look at his friend, brows furrowing a little bit as Eddie tugs on his wrist and he steps towards him, not quite sure what Eddie’s thinking.

“Eds?” He asks, tilting his head a little as Eddie tugs on his wrist once more and he goes towards Eddie willingly, ignoring the way his wrist heats up the longer Eddie holds onto him. He’s not surprised when Eddie ends up dragging him to the couch, and he sits down comfortably, looking towards Eddie with a frown as Eddie looks back at him, his fingers still circling Buck’s wrist.

“Eddie, what’s---” He stops, eyes widening when Eddie leans forward suddenly and kisses him. He can’t help but feel surprised, frozen in time for a few minutes as his heart pounds inside of his chest. He’s imagined this, of course - how couldn’t he, when he’s been in love with his best friend for who knows how long, but he never thought that Eddie would make any kind of move and kiss  _ him _ . Hell, he never thought that Eddie was even into men, or -- 

When he feels Eddie begin to pull away he finds himself moving his hands and pulling Eddie closer, opening his mouth slightly to return the kiss, a small gasp escaping from Eddie that has Buck smiling into the kiss before he pulls away a few minutes later, resting his head against Eddie’s, still smiling. He feels like something in him has been completed by Eddie kissing him, though his entire body tingles from where he’s touching Eddie.

“You kissed me,” he whispers, beginning to feel shocked at Eddie kissing him, wondering  _ why _ he did, but not wanting to question it in case Eddie takes it back. He leans back a little bit, his hands falling to his lap instead of continuing to hold onto Eddie’s face as Eddie hums with a small smile.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while, to be honest,” Eddie whispers and Buck -- Buck can’t help but let out a gasp, more surprise coursing through him at Eddie’s words.

“Oh,” he whispers after a few minutes, biting the inside of his cheek before smiling at Eddie, feeling more confident as he takes in the other man, humming alongside Eddie after a few minutes as he tries his best to sort through his feelings and thoughts.

“Is that why--” Buck begins before pausing, biting the inside of his cheek once more before letting out a small sigh.

“I’m in love with you, Buck. I want you in my life. I want you in Chris’ life, more than you already are. That’s why I’m telling you to spend Christmas with us,” Eddie says and Buck can’t help but chuckle, not surprised that Eddie knows what Buck is thinking and provided an answer for him without even questioning it.

“Okay,” Buck whispers, continuing to smile before leaning forward and kissing Eddie again, getting lost in the feeling of having Eddie in his arms.

* * *

The next couple of weeks go by quickly for Buck - and Eddie, he’s sure. They go on a few dates, make out a lot, and talk about where to take their newfound relationship, because Buck definitely can’t go to being just friends with Eddie after making out with him. Eddie confirms he feels the same way, and the two of them talk about how they want to keep the relationship private from everyone else, since it’s so new, except for Chris, because they can’t ever hide anything from Chris.

They continue to go out Christmas shopping throughout the weeks, though Eddie is the one helping Buck instead of Buck helping Eddie, and before Buck knows it, it’s Christmas Eve and he’s heading over towards Eddie’s home, a flurry of nerves coursing through him as he heads over. 

Logically, Buck knows he has no reason to be nervous - Eddie and him have been best friends for a few years now, and he’s spent Christmas with Eddie and Chris before - but that was with the entire 118 and their family, and when they were just best friends. Now, he’s going to Eddie’s  _ home _ , as his  _ boyfriend _ , about to tell Chris that he and his Dad are dating, and that’s why he’s spending the night, and that he’s going to be there in the morning, and it’s -- well, it’s nerve wracking for Buck. 

But he’ll have Eddie there to help if he flounders, because while he loves Chris like he’s his own, he knows he’s going to flounder. It’s what he does best when he’s nervous, especially over something that’s as big as this. 

Pulling into Eddie’s driveway, Buck lets out a small breath, shaking his arms to get out any excess energy he has before rubbing his hands together, feeling a little cold as he turns off the car, and the heat inside of it. The next few minutes go by quickly as Buck knocks on the door quickly then heads back to his car to grab all of the gifts for Eddie and Chris that he bought and, went overboard for - something Eddie teases him about when he helps out, but Buck only rolls his eyes fondly at his boyfriend, because he can.

Finally inside of Eddie’s home with the gifts under the tree, Buck can’t help but let out a small laugh when Eddie pulls Buck towards him and then kisses him, a smile forming on Buck’s face when he returns the kiss, hands going to Eddie’s waist to try and pull him in closer before falling onto the couch with a burst of laughter as their limbs tangle together before Buck pulls himself apart from Eddie, especially when he sees Chris coming down the hall.

“BUCKY!” He hears and he can’t help but turn to Eddie with a grin before he stands up to walk in front of Chris, arms wide open until Chris has met with him, lifting the kid up and twirling him a little bit, grinning when Chris giggles at the movement.

“What are you - you doing - here?” Chris asks as Buck puts him down and Buck turns towards Eddie briefly before he kneels in front of Chris with a grin.

“Well, buddy, I’m going to be spending Christmas with you and your Dad,” Buck replies after a few minutes, Buck’s heart racing as Chris looks between him and his Dad with a small amount of confusion displayed on his face.

“Because you and Daddy are together?” Chris asks and Buck can’t help but widen his eyes, a small noise escaping from him, surprised that Chris was able to come to that conclusion. He can hear Eddie coming towards them, can feel him kneeling down next to him, a smile on his face.

“How’d you figure that one out, bud?” Eddie asks, and Buck can’t help but grin when Chris giggles.

“You guys like to kiss.  _ A lot _ .” Chris responds back and Buck can’t help but let out a small groan, cheeks turning red as he bites the inside of his cheek before running his fingers through his hair.

“Well, there’s no denying that. Yes, we’re dating. But I’m not just spending Christmas with you guys because I love your Dad. I’m spending it because I love you too, Chris,” Buck says, and he can feel Eddie freeze, and he knows why, but he can only focus on the grin Chris makes before he steps forward to hug him.

“I love you too, Bucky,” Chris whispers and Buck smiles in response, hugging Chris in response, probably a little too tightly, before he looks over towards Eddie, who is smiling softly at him. After a few moments, Buck lifts Chris up gently before heading towards the couch and sitting on it,  _ Arthur Christmas _ playing on the television in the background as Chris shifts so that he’s sitting between Buck and his Dad, a smile on his face.

Eddie and Buck talk quietly between themselves as Chris watches the film, Eddie’s hand resting on the back of Buck’s neck, playing with the loose strands of hair that rest there, making Buck’s heart flutter fast inside of his chest while he smiles lightly at his boyfriend. Eventually, Buck feels Chris fall asleep on him, and looking down at the kid, he can’t help but smile even more at him, before looking towards Eddie with a hum.

“Think we should put the little man to bed?” He asks, cheeks turning red when Eddie moves forward and kisses him before nodding his head.

“Most definitely,” Eddie replies back with a small whisper before he stands up and takes Chris from Buck’s arm, heading towards Chris’ room, Buck watching him, still smiling.

* * *

When Eddie finally returns, it’s only been about five minutes, but it’s been long enough for Buck to change out of his own clothes and into something he’d be more comfortable sleeping in - sweats and a t-shirt, something Eddie has seen him in more than once, but the way Eddie stops when he spots him --

Buck feels a thrill go up his spine as Eddie checks him over, his smile turning into a grin as he steps towards his boyfriend and wraps his arms around Eddie’s waist, leaning his head down a little to kiss him before pulling away before Eddie can get completely into the kiss with a hum.

“Why don’t you go get change into something more comfortable, and then we’ll --- I don’t know, figure out what to do from there,” Buck suggests, ignoring the warmth that floods through his system as Eddie smiles at him and then kisses him before walking away and into his own room. The next five minutes pass by quickly with Buck cleaning up as best as he can, placing the dirty dishes Eddie had made earlier into the sink, turning off the inside lights and turning on the decorative lights outside with a soft smile on his face.

He’s not surprised when Eddie appears with more gifts in his arm, no doubt the ones labelled from Santa for Chris, and he moves to help his boyfriend, footsteps soft against the rug on the ground in the living room as Buck bends and shifts previous gifts until everything is settled under the tree nicely.

“Let’s go to bed, yeah?” Eddie asks after everything is settled and Buck nods, turning to look towards Eddie and gulping at how good he looks against the lights from outside and the lights from the tree. 

Walking to the bedroom is quick - doing their nightly routine is also quick and in no time, Buck finds himself in Eddie’s bed, arms wrapped around Eddie and their legs entwined within minutes, a smile on his face as Eddie kisses him lightly, the two of them continuing to kiss one another, Buck breaking into a smile with each kiss before he pulls away with a chuckle.

“Were you serious when you told Chris you loved me?” Eddie asks, and there’s something in his eyes that Buck doesn’t like seeing, so he nods his head.

“Very much so. You’re kind of stuck with me, even if we’ve only been dating for a short while. We’ve been best friends longer, Eds. I can’t lose you, especially now that I know you return my feelings,” Buck admits, ignoring the way his heart pounds inside of his chest as Eddie smiles at him.

“I love you too,” he whispers, leaning forward to kiss Buck before moving them so that Buck is on his back and Eddie is on top, the night getting away from them as they acquaint themselves with one another’s bodies in a way only lovers do.

* * *

When he wakes up the following morning, he wakes up to someone shaking him and the ache in his eyelids that tell him he didn’t get nearly as much sleep as he likes. Letting out a small groan, Buck finds himself turning to his side, curling his body so that he’s not lying in bed completely straight, hiding his face into the pillow his arms are wrapped around.

“Buuuuck,” he hears and he lets out another groan, opening one eye to see Eddie smirking at him while still in bed and, when he moves his eye to look around the room, Chris nudging him and his Dad to get them up completely.

“What time s’it?” He asks, smacking his lips together before opening his eyes completely, arching his eyebrow when Chris blushes and looks away from him, clearing his throat.

“Almost seven in the morning,” Eddie replies and Buck can’t help but let out another groan, flipping the blanket he’s sleeping with over his head before he removes it and shifts so he’s lying on his back, briefly thankful that he thought to get dressed before falling asleep.

“You excited, buddy?” Buck asks when he blinks himself awake a few times, smiling when Chris nods his head with a grin. He can feel Eddie’s hand wrapping around his own, squeezing gently as he lets out a small yawn and stretch before interlacing their fingers, something settling inside of him that feels like he’s at home, something he hasn’t felt -- ever.

“Well, we shouldn’t keep you waiting, should we?” Buck questions, smirking towards Eddie when Chris agrees and carefully gets off the bed using the stool from the bathroom that he must’ve brought with him.

“Let us get dressed, bud, and we’ll meet you in the living room. We’ll open stocking stuffers first, then breakfast, then gifts, alright?” Eddie asks, smiling when Chris nods before making his way out of the room, Buck humming a Christmas tune in excitement as he turns towards Eddie.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispers, grinning when Eddie wishes him a happy holiday before moving forward and kissing him. Buck finds himself wrapping his hands around Eddie’s neck, pulling him in closer, kissing him a little more thoroughly before Eddie pulls away with a smile, kissing the top of Buck’s nose, grinning when Buck makes a face.

“We need to get up, before Chris comes back in even more antsy than before,” Eddie says, getting up out of bed, showing off his back that has Buck drooling just a little bit before he clears his throat and gets out of the comfortable bed himself.

“Am I making chocolate chip pancakes like normal, or is there a different Christmas tradition I should be following?” Buck asks after a few minutes, biting the inside of his cheek as he watches Eddie in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, with a small smile.

“Chocolate chip pancakes like normal,” Eddie responds after a few minutes before they do a switch in the bathroom so Buck can use the toilet and brush his own teeth, something he does quickly because he can hear Chris ask for him when Eddie finally appears. When he’s done, he makes his way to where Eddie and Chris are, grinning when Chris immediately goes to him with a grin on his own face, wishing him a happy holiday and wrapping him up in a hug that has Buck melting.

“Alright bud, let’s open your stocking stuffers,” Buck says as he sits on the couch and Eddie grabs Chris’ stocking before handing it to his son and sitting next to Buck, arm slinging around his shoulders that has Buck grinning as he watches Chris open small gift after small gift.

With each gift Chris opens, Buck can’t help but feel like he’s part of a special family moment, and when he turns towards Eddie, he can’t help but blink in surprise to see Eddie’s looking right back at him with a soft smile on his face.

“What are you thinking about?” Eddie asks, voice quiet while Chris continues to open the last of his stocking gifts, getting close to the few Buck had snuck in there at one point throughout the week, whenever he had visited.

“I am thinking about how much I am part of your family,” Buck admits, his eyes shining with emotion that he just doesn’t want to let free at the moment. “I’m thinking that this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had, even though it’s barely gotten started,” Buck adds with a soft smile, wiping at his eyes while Eddie chuckles.

“Don’t let your sister hear that,” he whispers and Buck snorts with a shake of his head, inhaling and exhaling before grabbing Eddie’s hand, interlocking their fingers and squeezing.

“Thank you - Dad and Buck,” he hears Chris say and he turns towards Chris with a smile, running his fingers through Chris’ hair and ruffling it before standing up.

“I guess that’s my queue to get breakfast started,” he responds with a grin as he heads towards the kitchen to begin mixing the ingredients that Eddie, thankfully, had taken out while he was waiting for Buck to come from the bathroom earlier.

Making the pancakes is a menial task, something Buck can do without much thought, something that has him talking to Eddie and Chris while he cooks, a soft grin on his face as the morning passes and they eat the pancakes together, a true family, even when Chris makes a mess and they all laugh while Buck cleans him up before he opens up the next gifts - the ones actually under the tree this time.

Watching Chris head towards the tree after breakfast, Buck feels - he feels something he isn’t sure how to explain, even as Eddie begins organizing the gifts for something to do, turning towards him with an arch of his eyebrows, waiting for Buck to join them and sit down on the couch. When Buck finally does, he finds himself getting more comfortable, Chris sitting in front of the tree, pure excitement radiating from his body, energy coming out that has Buck laughing softly.

“Are you ready, buddy?” Buck asks, grinning when Chris nods until Eddie hands his son the first gift - one from Santa. The morning continues on like that, Eddie handing Chris gift after gift for him to open, Chris exclaiming how much he loves the gift, how happy he is for it, or Eddie handing Buck a gift to give to Chris -- or even Chris giving Buck a gift, which surprises him more than he wants to admit.

It’s one of the best mornings Buck has had - one of the best Christmases Buck has had, and briefly, he wishes Maddie and Chim were here to join them, before he realizes that even if they were, he’d rather have the morning to himself, with Eddie and Chris only. Sitting with Eddie and Chris, Buck feels at home, and he feels complete, and it’s -- it’s something new, something lovely.

Eventually, Chris ends up opening all of his gifts from Eddie, Santa and Buck, and Buck can’t stop himself from grinning as Chris makes his way to hug him, Buck returning the hug with a small hum. Buck and Eddie open their gifts from one another and from Chris - gifts that were homemade and bought and treasured, and Buck -- Buck felt like not leaving Eddie’s home  _ ever _ , though that was something he would have to unpack later, he knows.

“Was it a good day?” Eddie asks, once everything has been cleaned up and Chris is off to the side, playing with some of his new toys, noises coming out of his mouth that has Buck holding back a chortle as he grins at his boyfriend, hands moving to grab Eddie, wrapping carefully around him so they’re resting on the back of his neck, pulling Eddie in close as Buck kisses him, a smile on their faces as they do so.

“The best,” Buck responds back between kisses, biting Eddie’s lower lip briefly before pulling away and resting his forehead against Eddie’s own, the two of them nearly humming in sync as they stare at one another.

“The best, huh,” Eddie responds back with a chuckle, and Buck can’t help but roll his eyes before moving quickly to kiss Eddie once more before stepping away.

“Absolutely,” he teases, sitting next to Chris and ruffling his hair as the little man laughs, and Buck -- Buck laughs right along with him, because it’s  _ true _ , and there’s nothing else he could say about the day, or the truth.

“I love you,” he adds, grinning when Eddie hums and replies back, laughing when Chris joins in, the three of them spending the rest of Christmas together, something Buck will always enjoy looking back on in future years, as he grows older - knowing that this is the moment that he realized he wasn’t alone, and he didn’t have to be; Not with Eddie by his side, not with Chris having followed him around most of the day. Not with his heart full.

The best Christmas indeed, he thinks, at the end of the day, back in bed, still grinning.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this story. If there's anything that should've been tagged, please let me know ASAP. Comments are appreciated, loved, and always responded to. ♥


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